The Hindu Business Line : ABT moving into passenger transport

According to Mr M. Manickam, Managing Director, ABT Ltd, the company which is now in goods transport with a fleet of over 500 trucks, will enter passenger services from next month through a new division ABT x Travels.

The plans are to operate a fleet of 200 buses by 2010. It will start with four buses in October and add four a month to own a fleet of 12 buses, initially connecting Chennai, Coimbatore and Pollachi.

These will be luxury buses with the focus on comfort and safety - the passenger seats will have safety belts - and economy. In three months, the company will also start offering package tours, he said.

The passenger fares will be the lowest in this segment, Mr Manickam said.

Re-entry

For ABT Ltd passenger transport is a re-entry into a business it was in from its launch in 1931 up to the early 1970s when passenger transport services were nationalised.

The company, which is into its 75th year of operations, was then the Anamallais Bus Transport Ltd with a fleet of 150 buses operating in 110 routes around the Coimbatore region. Today, ABT Ltd has the skill-sets to emerge a market leader again.

The buses will be equipped with Global Positioning Systems, which is also being fitted on its goods transport fleet. This will help keep track of passenger and cargo movement, and help increase efficiency of operations, he said.

The infrastructure of 12 branches and 550 agents in ABT Parcel Service will be utilised for the operations of the passenger service also. It hopes to link over 40-45 destinations including Bangalore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kochi and Trivandrum, Mr Manickam said.

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